Don't miss this event funded by SERF!
Raising Healthy Children in Challenging Times
Wednesday, October 6, 7-8:30 PM
Curtis Middle School
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 There is no harder job than being a parent. Nothing else touches us as much as person so deeply - or so unpredictably - and there is no training for it. As the pace of life accelerates, as media influences intensify, and as the future grows less predictable, parents and teachers find it harder to be confident: harder to know how to raise competent caring children, how to resist negative influences in the surrounding culture, and how to help foster strength and resilience.
Noyes principal Annette Doyle received a SERF grant to bring Rob Evans, EdD to Sudbury to outline these dilemmas and offer concrete suggestions for successful coping at home and school.
Robert Evans is a clinical and organizational psychologist and the Executive Director of The Human Relations Service in Wellesley. For more info on his background and areas of research, visit his website.
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Mark your calendar!
SERF's Spring College Fair
Saturday, March 26, 2011
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SERF will again bring together prospective students and their families with representatives from over 100 colleges. Besides the colleges, universities and gap-year programs who will attend, we will hold a series of topical seminars throughout the afternoon to help attendees learn more about navigating the college application process, financing a college education, choosing the right school, and more.
This event is free and open to the public
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Meet SERF's President
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 This is an excerpt from a recent Sudbury Town Crier article.
Debbie Pullen, a parent of two children at Nixon, recently began her third year as president of SERF.
What do you do as president?
My role is to help keep the many activities of SERF
moving forward. I am heavily involved with fund raising, which is critical to
SERF's continuing ability to make generous grants to the schools. On the granting side, I am currently overseeing the
implementation of software that will allow us to better manage and track
our grant application process. Finally, I am working to continue to improve our
dynamic new web presence at www.serfsudbury.org.
Our fund raising falls into three broad categories: our annual
direct appeal, which we rely on each year as a primary
fundraiser; an annual Spring College Fair, a free event which brings in
over 1,000 attendees to visit with over 100 colleges and attend
educational seminars, and that raises over $20,000 through college registration fees,
business and family sponsorships, and advertising; and finally, the ACE Awards recognition program where families make donations in honor of their favorite teachers, administrators
and coaches to thank them for their dedication to teaching our
children. The money we raise from all these programs goes straight to the
schools in the form of grant funds.
Who makes up SERF's Board of Directors?
The board's current 25 members have
children in nearly every grade from preschool through high school. SERF board members are responsible for fundraising for SERF and for
reviewing and voting on grant applications from teachers and
administrators. Last school year SERF disbursed a record-breaking $68,000 in grants, which kept board members very busy.
See the complete article to read about the grant review process, recent grants, and SERF's biggest challenges.
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Thanks for your support!
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Thanks to Eversave for inviting SERF to be the beneficiary of an exciting new savings program that offered Sudbury families 50% off purchases of delicious Indian food at Paani, with a portion of the proceeds benefiting SERF. What a great way to support a great new restaurant in town and
our public schools at the same time. Look for further Sudbury "saves" from us in the
future!
Thank you to all of the families who purchased this great savings, and thanks to the many loyal families and businesses who continue to support SERF and our mission in the Sudbury Public Schools. Together, we make a difference!
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Over 100 educators received ACE Awards
|  "I know [first-grade teacher Christine Fearey] will always hold a special place in our daughter's early school memories, and I am glad that the ACE Award can show her that she really does make a difference, that she is appreciated, and that she really is gold. What a great way to recognize an outstanding teacher while also giving back to our children."
-Sudbury parent Nicole ArparianLast year, many families chose to honor teachers and administrators in grades K-12 with an ACE Award - Appreciation of Champions in Education - from SERF, which not only acknowledge teachers' efforts, but also invest money directly back into the public schools. "It is wonderful to be recognized by the parent community for our hard work and dedication to our students," says Jeanmarie Skahan, a fourth-grade teacher at Haynes who was honored with an ACE Award last year. Principals personalize the experience by distributing the ACE Awards to their teachers. Some principals choose to present ACE Awards during staff meetings to honor recipients among their peers. If you're looking for a great holiday or class gift, ACE Awards are another way to express your appreciation. See the list of educators who received ACE Awards during the 2009-2010 school year, and find out more about this popular teacher recognition program. |
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Grants in Action
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"SERF's
contribution to the quality of teaching and learning in Sudbury Public
Schools continues to be invaluable. Every dollar donated directly
impacts the classroom and supports and motivates our teachers'
creativity, enhancing what they provide to our students."
-John Brackett, Superintendent of
Sudbury Public Schools
 SERF
promotes innovation in the Sudbury's K-12 classrooms
by providing
grants for leading-edge projects in math and science, language and the
arts, emerging technologies, social development, teacher professional
development and more. Below you'll find just a few of the many tangible
manifestations of the impact that SERF grants have had this past year
and in the recent past. |
LCD Projectors &
Document Cameras
SERF funded a number of LCD projectors (above) and document cameras (below), enabling teachers to share more detail and quickly manipulate lessons for students.  | |
Geography Books Multi-media Geography Alive! resources for Ephraim Curtis Middle School funded by SERF  | |
Flip Video Cameras
SERF funded both a pilot grant to explore the use of Flip Video in the classroom. Based on its success, SERF funded a subsequent grant to expand the initiative district-wide.
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Literacy Manipulatives
SERF funded a pilot for a set of literacy manipulatives called Wilson Fundations Durable Kits for grades K-3 at Loring, which the Sudbury Public Schools subsequently funded at the other elementary schools.  | |
SERF Board of Directors 2010-2011
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Debbie Pullen, President
Marisa Helgeson,
Treasurer
Elena Kleifges, Co-Clerk
Karen Darmer, Co-Clerk
Hannah Pentz, Co-Chair Marketing
Tracy Sconyers, Co-Chair Marketing
Faith Chen, Co-Chair Granting
Marisa Dawson, Co-Chair Granting
Ruth Miller, Chair Data Management
Kim Kelly, Co-Chair Events
Karen Volo, Co-Chair Events
Members: Betsy Cohen, Michelle Dobrin, Susan Ganio, Margaret Hanshaw, Ellen Gitelman, Anne Hincks, Stephanie Stein
Lapat, Kim Lewis, Kim Prendergast, Melissa Ross, Dawn Solowey, Jeri Tarini, Robin Wolk
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